As Vladimir Putin tightens his grip on access to independent news and information in Russia , campaigners have turned to using porn sites to get their anti-war messages across. Russia recently introduced fake news legislation, a group of federal laws prohibiting the dissemination of information considered "unreliable" by Russian authorities, which many condemn as a tool to control criticism of the state. A jail term of up to 15 years is the punishment for spreading intentionally "fake" news about the military. READ MORE: Bikini model who posed on tank forced to flee Ukraine after bone-chilling threat To combat this Marina Ovsyannikova, a CEO at a Ukrainian digital marketing company, began buying ad space across websites in Russia and Belarus, linking to independent news on the war in Ukraine . As Russia's fake news laws made the bigger sites like Google and Youtube harder to use for her ploy, Ovsyannikova moved "into a darker realm", as the Guardian put it. … [Read more...] about Anti-Putin campaigners ‘using porn sites to show Russians the truth about Ukraine war’
War
Tuesday morning news briefing: General says UK must be ready for war
The head of the Army today says the UK must be ready for war with Russia. Four months on from Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, General Sir Patrick Sanders is set to compare the assault to the rise of Nazi Germany . He will say that Britain is facing its "1937 moment" and must be ready to "fight and win" to ward off the threat from Russia. In his first public speech as Chief of the General Staff , Sir Patrick will say the UK must be prepared to "act rapidly" to contain Russian expansionism. Nato last night pledged to massively increase its forces available on high alert to more than 300,000 troops, a more-than seven-fold increase. Sir Patrick's intervention is likely to put pressure on Mr Johnson to maintain the size of the Armed Forces after plans were announced to reduce troop numbers in a move to a more modern military. Defence editor Danielle Sheridan reports that, in a separate speech today, Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, is to call for increased … [Read more...] about Tuesday morning news briefing: General says UK must be ready for war
Ukraine war: Uncertainty over the fate of surrendered Mariupol defenders
Ukrainian fighters extracted from the last bastion of resistance in Mariupol have been taken to a former penal colony in Kremlin-controlled territory, with Kyiv officials saying they hope to exchange them for Russian prisoners of war. However, their fate appears up in the air. One Moscow lawmaker has said they should be brought to “justice,” as Russia threatened to put some of them on trial for war crimes. Russian news agencies are reporting that the Duma plans to take up a resolution on Wednesday to prevent the exchange of Azov Regiment fighters. Ending the siege Russia's Defence Ministry announced on Wednesday that 959 Ukrainian soldiers entrenched at the Azovstal steel site had surrendered since Monday. "In the last 24 hours 694 fighters, including 29 wounded, have been taken as prisoners. Since 16 May, fighters, including 80 wounded, have been taken prisoner," the ministry said in a statement, reiterated by Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor … [Read more...] about Ukraine war: Uncertainty over the fate of surrendered Mariupol defenders
Ukraine war: Macron, Scholz ask Putin to free captured Azovstal fighters
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron had an 80-minute telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin on Saturday. The two asked for the release of some 2,500 Ukrainian fighters who surrendered at the Azovstal steel mill, ending the siege of the southern port city of Mariupol. While Moscow claims to have taken the strategic town of Lyman and the fighting for Sievierodonetsk continues to rage, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia should not think that it will be holding the cities as they will eventually return to Ukraine. Follow Saturday's developments as they unfolded in our blog below: 05.28.2022 09:20 Saturday's key events: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron held a telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin on Saturday, calling for "serious direct negotiations" with Kyiv and the release of Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered at Azovstal. "The Donbas will be Ukrainian", President … [Read more...] about Ukraine war: Macron, Scholz ask Putin to free captured Azovstal fighters
Ukraine war: Five important developments to know for Sunday
1. Russian forces claim control of Lysychansk Russia claimed control Sunday over the last Ukrainian stronghold in an eastern province that is key to achieving a major goal of its grinding war. Ukraine's General Staff of the military reported that its forces had withdrawn from Lysychansk in Luhansk province, but the president said the fight for the city was ongoing. If confirmed, Russia's complete seizure of Luhansk would provide its forces a stronger base from which to press their advance in neighboring Donetsk province and bring them one step closer to achieving one of President Vladimir Putin’s major goals: capturing the entire Donbas. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told Putin that Russia’s troops, with members of a local separatist militia, “have established full control over the city of Lysychansk” and now hold all of Luhansk, according to a ministry statement published Sunday. As is typical with such descriptions, the Russian statement characterized … [Read more...] about Ukraine war: Five important developments to know for Sunday
Ukraine: Cardiff photojournalist shares photos of war
Published 4 hours ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics Russia-Ukraine war A Cardiff-based photojournalist has shared some of the photos she has taken while covering the war in Ukraine. Jess Daly spent three weeks around the city of Dnipro in June, where she was embedded with the Hospitallers Medical Battalion. She said: "I was based in various towns and villages. There was constant shelling regardless of where the shells were landing and who they were targeting. It was barbaric." She said an ambulance worker who she spent time with last month, Natalia, also known as "Austria", died while taking part in an evacuation. "It's very, very dangerous for them. "They're volunteers, they do this out of passion for their people and their country and although they are at constant threat they put their lives on the line regardless." A field … [Read more...] about Ukraine: Cardiff photojournalist shares photos of war
Ukraine war: G7 pledges to stay with Ukraine until the end
Published 6 days ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics Russia-Ukraine war Leaders of the world's seven richest nations have promised to support Ukraine "for as long as it takes" on the second day of a summit in Germany. In a statement, the G7 group also said that Russia must stop blocking food from leaving Ukraine's ports. Addressing the summit via video-link, Ukraine's president appealed for more heavy weapons from Western allies. G7 leaders are under pressure to be united in their approach against increasing Russian aggression. "We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support and stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes," they said in a strongly worded statement on Monday. "We remain appalled by and continue to condemn the brutal, unprovoked, unjustifiable and illegal war of aggression against … [Read more...] about Ukraine war: G7 pledges to stay with Ukraine until the end
Ukraine war: Russian forces ‘storming’ besieged city of Lysychansk
By Patrick Jackson Published 6 days ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics Russia-Ukraine war Russian forces are "storming" the east Ukrainian city of Lysychansk, the local governor says, with eight civilians killed by shelling. Serhiy Haidai, governor of Luhansk region, said 21 other people had been injured in the attack, which came as they collected water from a tanker. Earlier on Monday, he told people to evacuate immediately because of the "real threat to life and health". The nearby city of Severodonetsk fell to the Russians at the weekend. The region is Russia's military focus four months after it invaded Ukraine. Since withdrawing from the area around the capital Kyiv in early April, the Russian military and their separatist allies have been trying to drive Ukrainian government forces out of Luhansk and the neighbouring … [Read more...] about Ukraine war: Russian forces ‘storming’ besieged city of Lysychansk
Moscow claims control over Luhansk region as missiles hit border towns
The Russian Defense Ministry has claimed that Russian forces have "liberated" all of Ukraine's Luhansk region. The ministry on Sunday said Russian forces had captured Lysychansk, the last major Ukrainian-held city in Ukraine's Luhansk province. Russia's defense minister Sergei Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin that Russia's troops and members of a local separatist militia "have established full control over Lysychansk and some nearby settlements," according to a post on the ministry's Telegram channel. "The total area of the territories liberated over the past day amounted to 182 square kilometers," the post said. Control of Lysychansk would bring Moscow closer to its stated goal of seizing all of Ukraine's Donbas region. Ukraine's military did not immediately provide a response, but on Saturday, Ukrainian authorities had said that Lysychansk remained under Ukrainian control. Early on Sunday, Luhansk governor Serhiy Haidai said Russian forces were gaining a … [Read more...] about Moscow claims control over Luhansk region as missiles hit border towns
Remembering WWII Medal of Honor recipient Hershel “Woody” Williams
"Hero" is a word used perhaps a little too often these days. Last year, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin talked with the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from the Second World War: Hershel "Woody" Williams. Williams died Wednesday at the age of 98 . We think you'll agree, he is, indeed, a true American hero. [This story was originally broadcast May 30, 2021] Hershel "Woody" Williams is literally one-of-a-kind. At the age of 97 he is the last living recipient of the Medal of Honor from World War II. But it's the way he's lived all those years since that really sets him apart. "I felt that I owed back more than I could ever possibly give," he told Martin. He grew up on a farm in West Virginia during the Great Depression. "There were 11 born to my family," he said. "Only five of us survived to adulthood." After Pearl Harbor , he tried to enlist in the Marines, but was rejected as too short. When the Marines started taking horrendous casualties … [Read more...] about Remembering WWII Medal of Honor recipient Hershel “Woody” Williams